A Survey of Bone Grafting Practice Patterns in North American Cleft Surgeons

• Published in: The Cleft palate-craniofacial journal 2023-11, Vol.60 (11), p.1366-1375
• Main Authors: Qamar, Fatima, Cray, James J., Halsey, Jordan, Rottgers, S. Alex
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Multiple choice; Skin & tissue grafts
• ISSN: 1055-6656; 1545-1569
• DOI: 10.1177/10556656221104937

Introduction Alveolar bone grafting aims to restore bony continuity of the alveolus and provide optimal periodontal support for teeth adjacent to the cleft. We created a survey of cleft surgeons to assess the current standard of care regarding this procedure. Methods A multiple choice survey was implemented using Qualtrics software and emailed to a list of 708 surgeons from the ACPA membership directory. Correlation between various provider factors and treatment practices was assessed with Fisher's exact test and likelihood ratio tests. Results The response rate was 17.5%. Eighty-seven percent of providers preferred to perform grafts prior to secondary canine eruption while 10% favored before central incisor eruption. Eighty-one percent favored palatal expansion prior to bone grafting. Wide variability existed regarding the time to initiate postoperative orthodontics; 43% waited 4 to 6 months. Sixty-four percent of surgeons now utilize cone beam CT to assess graft take. The majority of respondents utilized cancellous bone autograft (92%) from the anterior iliac crest (97%) as graft material. Seventy percent used three or more modalities for post-operative pain control management. Early career surgeons (0–5 years) appeared more likely to use non-autologous materials (p